Material holder for slicing machines



E. H. WILLIAMS.

MATERIAL HOLDER FOR SLICING MACHINES.

APPLICATION HLED JuLY.1o,192o.

l @@SQL Patented Jan. 31, 922,

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MATERIAL HOLDER FOR SLICING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10,1920.

Patented Jan. 3L 1922.

UNiTEyo srATEgis ELLIS n. WILLIAMS, or EORNELL, NEW Yoan, AssIeNon 'ro THE A.. J. Dunn. oomrANY, INCORPORATED, or HonNELi., NEW Yoan, A CORPORATION. or New YORK.

Application filed July 10,

citizen of the nited States, residin in Hornell, in the county of Steuben and tate of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Material Holders for Slicing Machines, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to an improved holder for supporting material which is to be cut into slices in a 'slicing machine. rl`he object of this invention is the production of an article holder of this character which consists of a minimum number of parts, which can be easily mani ulated and which will securely vhold the article while'the same is being cut. i v

In the accompanyin drawings:

Figure 1 is a front e evation, partly in section of a slicin machine equipped with my improved artic e holder. Figure2 isa rear elevation of the same. Figure 3 isa horizontal section taken on line 3 3, Fig; 2. Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on line 1 -4, Fig. 1. Figure 5 is a similar view showing the supporting rollers turned into their operative position for causingV the hooks to penetrate the surface of the article to be held. Figures 6 and 7 are lvertical sections taken on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig'. 1.

Similar characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

10 represents the knife or cutter of the slicing machine and 11 the article supportin table or carriage which are movable re atively to each other for engaging the article to be sliced with the cutter.

12 is the feed plate, which is movable len,g,'thwisev on the carriage or support and whereby the article tol be sliced is advanced on the table for cutting slices successively from the front end thereof; On this plate are mounted two illars or. posts 13, 13 which are arranged adjacent to opposite longitudinal edges thereof. Between these pillars is arranged the holder whereby an end gri is obtained on the article to be sliced in accordance with my invention which holder. `is constructed as follows:

This holder comprises a supporting frame which is preferably of rectan lar form and provided with two upright-,side bars 15, 16 and upper and lower horizontal bars 17, 1S

Specification of Letters Patpnt.

vthe upright bar 15. is

MATERIAL HOLDERl FOR .SLICING MACHINES. i

Patented Jan. 31, 1922. 1920. serial No. 395,208. I Y

connecting the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the side bars. The outer side of rovided 'with seats 19 which engage the adjacent post 13 and the `other vertical bar is provided with a clamp 20 which engages the other post, thereby operating to removably support the holder on the feed plate.

21 represents a plurality of supporting rollers which are preferably arranged horizontally and parallel with each other on the supporting frame and so close together that the peripheries of adjacent rollers touch each other or nearly so. Each of these rollers is rotatably supported by providing opposite ends with trunnions 22 which are journaled in bearings 23 formed on the ver- Y tic`al bars of the supportin frame. To permit of readily inserting t ese trunnions in these bearings and removing the same therefrom, each of the side bars. of the supporting frame is divided so that the line of division extends' centrally through the several bearings, as shown 1n Fig. 6, the two parts of each side bar being detachablv connected with each other by screws 24. rhe supp'orting rollers are adapted to be Vrocked or oscillated manually, preferably in such manner that each roller turns in a direction opposite to that of an adjacent roller. A convenient means for this purpose consists in providing one of the rollers adjacent to one end thereof. with a hand lever 25 and alsoD securing gear wheels or pinions 26 to the trunnions at corresponding ends of the rollers so that these wheels mesh with each other.

Each of the supportin rollers provided on its periphery with a ongitudin'al row of gripping hooks each. of which preferably consists of a radial shank 27 secured at its inner end in an opening in the respective supporting roller, and a curved 4beak 28 which has a pointed end and extends laterally from the outer end of the shank concentrically with the axis of the respective su porting roller.

n order to permit the hooks of one roller to clear an adjacent roller, each roller is provided with 'a plurality of peripheral grooves 29 which preferably are of annular form and each of which receives a hook Aon an adjacent roller. The hooks and grooves 0f each roller preferably alternate with eachk other, so that the co-operating hooks and grooves of adjacent rollers are staggered relatively to each other.

In the operation of attaching a piece of meat or similar article which is to be sliced to the holder so as to 'obtain an end grip on this article and permit the last particle of the same to be cut up into slices of uniform thickness, the supporting rollers are first turned backwardly by the handle so that the several fastening hooks are all retracted in rear of a plane arranged vertically along the foremost parts or faces of the several rollers, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. The article to be sliced is now engaged with the front sides of the supporting rollers and then the rollers are turned forwardly in unison by the handle and the plurality of ears which operatively connect the rollers. hen this is done each of thecurved hooks moves forwardly in front of a plane which is arranged in line with the front sides of the rollers, whereby these hooks are caused to penetrate the material or article to be held and hold the same in engagement with the front side of the rollers. By reason of the concentric arrangement of the beaks of the hooks the` same merely penetrate the article or material withouty tearing the same or compressing the same between the hooks and the supporting rollers. A firm grip is thus obtained on' the end of the material to be sliced wherebythe same is held reliably in place duringthe slicing operation and Y permits perfect slices to be cut from the material until the same is entirely consumed.

By providing the rollers wlth grooves which receive the hooks it is possible tearrange the rollers close together and provide asubstantially continuous support for the mate ial to rest against. Owing to the staggere arrangement of the several hooks and grooves a large number of the same may be employed within a given space and Vthus grip the material in a greater number of places and thus aid in holding the same in place. Upon reversing the rotary movement of the rollers the hooks are retracted and the remnant of material is released preparatory to grasping another piece of material which is to be cut into slices.

It will be noted that in this materialy holder no separate face plate is required for engagement with thematcrial to be gripped and cut, inasmuch as the. rollers themselves form a back support for the material and thus permit of dispensing with such a plate.

I claim as my invention: v

l. A material holder for slicing machines lcomprising a plurality of parallel supporting rollers which are adapted to be rocked and to be engaged by the article to be sliced, a plurality of hooks arranged on each of said rollers and adapted to penetrate the material to be sliced, each of said hooks hav- Ving a pointed beak which is arranged concentric with the axis of the respective rollers, and each of said rollers being provided with peripheral grooves which receive the hooks on an adjacent roller.`

2. A material holder for slicing machines comprising a plurality of parallel supporting rollers which are adapted to be rocked and to be engaged by the article to be sliced, a plurality of hooks arranged on each of said rollers and adapted to penetrate the material to be sliced, each of said hooks having a pointed beak which is arranged concentric with the axis of the respective rollers and eachof said rollers being provided with peripheral grooves which receive the hooks on an adjacent roller, the co-operating hooks an'd grooves of two adjacent rollers being staggered relatively to the grooves and hooks of the other ad'acent rollers.

ELLIS WILLIAMS. 

